Without Name
by Nanashi 09
Summary: Yugi never really knew who his friend Nanashi really was. Until she sucks him into the dangerous world from whence she came. But the question is, does she even know who she herself is?
1. Dangerous Intentions

Random Announcer: The new story by the soon to be famous...drum roll please...Alexandra Cai!  
Me: /waits expectingly for cheering/ Come on, I know ya like me. /waits a little longer/  
Seto: /smirks/ Let me show you how it's done. /pushes her off stage/  
Me: Ahh!  
Seto: /whispers to random announcer/  
Random Announcer: As a special treat for attending the commencement speech for the new branch of Kaiba Corp., every one will recieve free duels disks!  
Audience: /cheers/  
Me: Commencement speech? /frowns and crosses arms/ Just give 'em the disclaimer, will ya?  
Seto: Even though Alexandra Cai would love to, she does _not _own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of the characters, besides her own, in this work of fiction. She simply could never be able to, and besides, this sorry excuse of a story could never make her nearly enough money too.  
Me: /growls/  
Random Announcer: We now present you..._Without Name.  
_Seto: Hmph...can't even think of a title.  
Me: /eyes flash angrily/ That _is _the title.

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**Chapter One - Dangerous Intentions  
****-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

"Hey, Grandpa, I'm home," Yugi called out, entering through the back door. The short kid dropped his backpack, going over to the kitchen to get a snack.

He stopped in surprise. The small, cramped room was usually filled with dirty dishes and other such stuff that no one had gotten to cleaning up. But today the counter was sparkling clean, or, at least, as close as it could ever get to it. That could only mean one thing.

His eyes traveled over to the girl sitting on the counter. Nanashi. She was holding an apple in one hand, using a knife to pare away chuncks of it to eat with the other. She finished the little bit that was left, and deftly flicked the core over into the garbage can. "Yo, Yug."

He smiled. "Hi." He walked over to the refridgerator and opened what had originally been a cream colored door. Now it was more of a dirty yellow. "So, where ya been?" As he leaned inside, rummaging around, his puzzle fell forward, the gold surface glinting in dull light of the room.

"Around," she answered simply, jumping off the counter.

Yugi's grandpa stuck his head in the kitchen. "Have a good day at school?" he asked Yugi. Noticing Nanashi, he raised an eyebrow. "So, you're what's been making all that noise today. I could hear you all the way out front."

"Yeah, right." She laughed, shaking her long brown hair. "If you could've, the cops would've been here a _long_ time ago."

Solomon smiled back. "Got me. Can't even keep intruders out of my own house."

"Not many ever hear me," she added. But her bluegreen eyes reflected a darker side to the comment.

Yugi pulled his head out of the fridge, holding a jar each of peanut butter and jelly. Walking over to the counter, he swiped the bread of the top of the microwave. He grabbed a knife and began slabbing peanut butter on a slice of bread. "My day was pretty good." He shrugged noncommitally and spread jelly on another slice. Sandwiching them together, he took a large bite. _Yumm, _he thought.

"So, ya'll mind if I stay here for awhile?" Nanashi asked.

"No, not at all," Solomon answered immediately. He liked the girl, and anyways, she always helped out, too "By the way, where've you been lately?"

That was the second time she'd been asked that question. Yugi thought she looked troubled for a moment, but the look lasted only a split second. "Around," she shrugged, answering the same way as before.

Yami communicated telepathically to his hikari. _Something's troubling her._

_So you noticed it too, _Yugi thought back.

_Yes._

Nanashi glanced down at the watch on her right wrist. "Gotta run," she said, exiting quickly. "Be back later."

It didn't surprise either Yugi or Solomon. They knew her pretty well by now, probably the only ones who did, and she often left suddenly like that. It didn't surprise them at all.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Nanashi loped down the sidewalk, but was a completely different person than she'd been a few moments ago. Her lips were drawn down into a frown, and her eyes reflected the inner conflict raging inside her. She thought back to yesterday.

_--Flashback--_

_"You're late." The man didn't turn as she entered, merely continued staring at the enlarged map of Domino hanging on the wall. Darts were stuck into it at various locations. Nanashi momentarily speculated on what they meant. Comrades? Targets? She quickly dismissed any of these, knowing that it was purely a ploy set up for her enjoyment._

_Hmph. Enjoyment. That was about the last feeling she linked with this place. She sat down in the steel chair provided for her. Besides the map on the wall, and the laptop on the desk in front of her; the place had the air of an interrogation room. "So, what? I'm here, aren't I?"_

_"You had better be more considerate of time in the future. For if you fail for me..." He left the sentence hanging, and jabbed a dart he was holding deep into the map._

_Nanashi's eyes flicked over to the spot. She barely managed to conceal her horror as she read the address. _

_The man finally turned. Intense gray eyes tried to pierce through her, but didn't succeed. They were right about her, although the true test hadn't come yet. She concealed her feelings well, hiding them under a mask of impatience and stubborness. He felt more confident, in himself and his superiors. He shouldn't have doubted them, they were rarely wrong._

_He himself was a man of mediums. Height, build, skill, intelligence, looks, there was nothing extraordinary about him. He'd been trained well, but usually found himself merely the middle man. But this didn't faze him, and the only part of him that broke his pattern of ordinariness was his eyes. They burned with a passion for his cause. That, and his life after joining them._

_He walked over to a desk. "Ah, a little more cooperative now, aren't we?"_

_"Just get on with it," she growled, giving way to her rising anger._

_He sat down at the desk, and spun the open laptop around, so she could see the screen. "Do you know who this man is?"_

_She recognized the man in the photograph instantly, and the description left no room for doubt. "Yes."_

_"Kill him."_

_She was furious now, grinding out her reply. "I am _not_ an assassin."_

_He pushed the screen down, locking eyes with her and smiling viciously. "Oh, but is it not what you were meant to be?"_

_--End Flashback--_

She'd barely managed to keep from strangling him, even with the knowledge of what the price would be. Her eyes flashed angrily just remembering it. She continued through a maze of side streets and alleyways. Climbing up the fire escape stairs to an old, barely standing apartment building, she whipped out a key and jammed it into the lock. She twisted it, then yanked on the knob, and pushed the door open. Walking in, she opened a cabinet, and pulled out a gun.

She hated the way the black..._thing _molded naturally with her hand. She held it out, sighting it easily at a window lock on the far end of the room. She revolted against the feeling of power and knowledge that if she fired she had a better chance of being struck by lightning than missing. She closed her eyes, and her finger feathered the trigger. She wouldn't fire, the unnecessary noise could possible attract someone.

_There's plenty of other professional assassins out there, _she thought. _Why me?_

A little voice answered back. _Oh, but is it not what you were meant to be?_

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Seto: /dryly/ wow...  
Me: /jumps back onstage and smacks him/ Shut up, will ya? Please review and thanks for reading my- /is cut off short as Seto tackles her and they wrestle on stage/


	2. Deadlines

Me: /walks onstage, using crutches. One leg, along with an arm, is encased in a cast. The rest of her is covered in random band-aid. Also, there's an eye patch over her right eye. Smiles at shocked reaction from crowd/ Don't worry 'bout me, Seto looks worse. Oh yeah, /fingers eye patch/ I can still see out of this eye, although putting in contacts is kinda hard.

Seto: /walks in, looking perfectly fine./ Hello

Me: /stares at Seto/ how...you...you're...

Seto: /smiles/ The wonders of technology and being rich. Oh, is this the next chapter? /grabs it out of her hands and reads it quickly. Frowns/ Wait a minute!

Me: /looks worried, then snaps fingers. A crowd of fan girls appears around Seto, all asking for autographs/ That should keep him busy for awhile. Hmm...Oh yes! Thank you Reya-chan for my first review. Always nice when someone takes the time. And now for the disclaimer.

Random Announcer: Alexandra Cai sadly does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of the characters, besides her own.

Pegasus: /looks at Seto sadly/ No one wants my autograph?

Random Fan Girl: /walks over/ I will! I'm trying to get an autograph from every Yu-Gi-Oh! character.

Pegasus: Too bad! I will seal your soul into this card with the hopes of being able to get my love Cecilia back! Mwahahahaha!

Me: Not again.../grabs mallet and smacks Pegasus/ That should stop him and any Funny Bunny madness he can think of. And before anything else can happen...START THE STORY!

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**Chapter Two Deadlines**

"Error: That operation is invalid."

Seto Kaiba's ice blue eyes narrowed as he glared at the computer. Damn. He was getting no where. A few days ago an important system had crashed, wiping out a few files with out. A few very critical files. Since the incompetent fools down in technical hadn't been able to salvage them, he'd taken the matter into his own hands. Only problem was, he needed those files by tomorrow, and, the way things were going, wouldn't get them for another thousand years.

"Would you like an explanation?"

And that voice! Insanely happy all the time. Ever since Funny Bunny had decided to do the Easter dance on the screen with tidings from Pegasus, his computer had never been quite the same. He'd been intending to fix that, but hadn't had the time. Extremely annoying when happiness was about the farthest you could get from his current mood.

"Yes. On the screen only."

At least that could shut the voice up. He scanned over the lengthy technical explanation. There files where still there, he knew it, only he just couldn't get to them. He closed his eyes in concentration for a second, then punched in another command on the keyboard.

"Error: tha-"

"Shut up!" He commanded, growling. He furiously typed in another command, hopefully shutting off the voice.

The door opened behind him.

"I thought I said I was _not _to be interrupted," he barked without looking.

"Not even by your little brother?" A timid voice asked.

Seto turned and looked at him. "Oh, it's you, Mokuba," this time tiredly.

Mokuba saw the part of his brother most people didn't. If he had been someone else, he would have seen a hard, cold veneer of polished efficiency and success. But what Mokuba saw was the rumpled coat, bloodshot eyes, and messy shock of brown hair that belonged to his weary brother. "Aren't you tired?" He walked up to him and sat on his lap. Wide, concerned brown eyes peered up at Seto.

"No," he lied. "I'm fine. I just need to finish this."

Mokuba turned his eyes towards the computer screen, and stared at the maze of words and numbers uncomprehendingly. Then he got an idea. "You gotta at least be hungry." Then, without waiting for the certain denial, he jumped up. "Be right back." He charged off eagerly.

--- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Lights flickered on as the sun slowly sunk beneath the western horizon. Glowing signs and street lamps gave the city of Domino a sort of sparkle that was lost in the full glare of the sun. Cars zoomed down streets, some people going home, others with the setting sun marking the start of their 'day'.

Nanashi stood in front of the impressive Kaiba Corp. office building. Sleek, glasslike walls loomed in front of her, a monument to corporate excellence. The two story letters spelling out Kaiba Corp. glared down at her, mocking her.

_You thought you could run from it, did you? Deny it, try to forget it, live a normal life. But you can't, can you? You're back here, and why? It runs in your blood, Nanashi, through your veins with every heart beat. You can't run from it, you can't run from me._

The voice sneered at her, across the barriers of time and death. She tried blocking it out, that didn't work. "Leave me alone, you sick old bastard. Leave me alone." The words left her lips, barely a whisper. Then she walked inside. She had a deadline, midnight.

--- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Yugi sat down, planning to work on his homework. He flipped on the lamp, casting its light across the smooth, veneer surface of his desk. He traced his finger along the imitation wood grain, reluctant to start. He _did _have all weekend to work on it, but if he got it out of the way now, he wouldn't have to worry about it. Finally, he reached down into his backpack and pulled out his heavy math book.

Ugh. Algebra. Why did his most disliked class also have to be the one with the biggest textbook? He turned to page 571, pulled out a sheet of paper, and tried to concentrate.

He really did try. But soon, the numbers and letters forming the impossible equations twisted themselves into sketches of winged creatures and fierce magicians doing battle as his mind wandered.

He hoped Nanashi would get back soon...she could help him. She seemed to understand these things, although he had no idea where she'd learned them...She definitely had never been to school...At least he had until Monday...Sometimes he wished she would leave a note...

Out of the corner of his eyes he'd been seeing it the whole time, but it had finally caught his attention. A cream colored slip of paper sticking out from under the base of his lamp. He reached over to grab it, curious.

--- --- --- --- --- --- ---

A man sat in the darkness, waiting expectantly. His whole mind was trained on his current goal, as he waited for the results.

_Gozaburo, you old fox. She was your best kept secret, huh? A glittering success. Trained perfectly, great potential. But something went wrong, didn't it? Totally unpredictable. Even I couldn't have foreseen that. What went wrong? Too early, you pushed her too fast. A few more years, and you might have been the most powerful man on the planet. Or maybe not; I will never know. But maybe I can salvage this project. Now she has an even greater incentive, and a history that should make this all too easy. She can hardly fail. But then, I must wait and see._

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Me: Okay, now that the story's finished.../snaps fingers and fan girls leave Seto, dropping their autograph sheets in front of me before disappearing. Gathers them all up/ These can go in my secret collection. /grins and tosses them into closet that magically opens, then disappears/

Seto: /turns angrily/ You just made this crowd listen to this...

Me: /speaks really fast/ thanksforreadingandpleasereview! /runs off/

Seto: /follows angrily/ You made me seem like an incompetent fool! I could too have solved that problem! Get back here so I can give you what you deserve!!!!


	3. Reluctant Assassin

Me: I would type a big long intro, but I don't feel like it today, mainly because I'm short on time. I'm supposed to take my sister out to ride her little pony. So, thank you to every one who reviewed, and anyone else who reads. Oh yeah, and a disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, I wish I owned Seto, but I don't. But I do own Nanashi.

Me: The thing was doing something wierd, changing all the ... I typed on word into some wierd symbols...I went through and fixed it now. I've noticed it does wierd things like that sometimes...

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**Chapter Three - Reluctant Assasin**

The receptionist stared at the girl walking in from the street. A beat up leather jacket covered a faded blue t-shirt. Her jeans were also faded, and among the potted plants and sleek modern lines, she was obviously out of place. She gave the girl a disdainful look. She could hardly be older than 17, and trouble was spelled out all over her.

Nanashi bypassed the receptionist, ignoring the look. Walking up to the security guard stationed in front of the elevator, she reached into her back pocket and dug out a card. He eyed her carefully, and she offered an explanation. "I forgot to pick something up, and I really need it."

He looked at the ID card, and compared the photo carefully with her. He'd never seen her before, but Kaiba Corp. employed thousands, possibly millions if you counted the other sites around the world. She checked out, although he was as convinced of her youth as the receptionist was. But there wasn't much he could do but let her pass.

"Okay," he grunted, and handed her ID back.

"Thank you." She jabbed the up button, and the elevator doors slid smoothly open immediately. She walked in, and choose a floor. The doors slid closed again, and the metal cage leaped upward.

Nanashi waited patiently, collecting herself coolly. At the back of her mind, a little voice argued with her, _I don't want to do this. _But years of training and instruction overpowered it, and supplied her easily with her next moved. Mirrors lined both sides of the elevator, creating thousands of duplicates of herself, all with one intention.

_Ding! _The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. She exited, and walked quickly down the hallway. There was little question of where to go in her mind, if she wanted to, she could find her way blindfolded. She turned the knob, and pushed open the door to Seto Kaiba's office.

Miss Tanaka, his secretary, looked up as the girl entered. She had a critical analysis of her like every one else so far, but was more confused than suspicious. What could she possibly want?

"I need to speak with Seto Kaiba," Nanashi declared.

Now she was even more confused. Who would have the gall to expect to even get a chance to speak with Mr. Kaiba looking like that? "I'm sorry, he's busy right now and will not be interrupted. Would you like to arrange for a meeting another time?" she asked, picked up a book and paging through it. "Could I have your name, please?"

Nanashi leaned over the desk, making the woman stare her in the face. Her eyes were oddly flat and unemotional, and her tone of voice matched them, as she replied, "Odd you ask that. I am without one." Her left hand slipped under her jacket, and pulled out a black, menacing pistol, and aimed it at the secretary.

Miss Tanaka's eyes grew wide and her skin pale. Her body froze as she looked fearfully at the gun.

Nanashi stepped back and slowly circled around the woman, but her aim was unwavering. Only she knew that if she did have to shoot, which she doubted, the bullet wouldn't kill. At least, not instantly. "Don't move," she ordered. She was behind Miss Tanaka now, and pulled the chair she was sitting in back away from her desk. "I don't intend to hurt you, and I don't want to. But I will if I have to." Her voice was still eerily flat and dull. "Now, is Kaiba in his office?"

"N-no," the woman stammered. She couldn't see the girl anymore, and didn't dare move.

"Then where is he?" Nanashi reached into her jacket, and pulled out a set of handcuffs with her free hand. Dropping them on the woman's lap, she slipped her wrist into one hole, and tightened. Picking up the chain, she pulled her hand back behind the chair while waiting for an answer.

"H-he...he's" Miss Tanaka stammered.

"I don't have all day." She grabbed her other wrist, pulled it behind the chair, and tightened the other end of the handcuffs around it. Then she reached back into her jacket, which seemed to carry everything, and pulled out a rope. She used this to bind the secretary's ankles to the chair legs.

"He's in...the main c-computer room," she finally managed to say.

"Thank you." She slipped her gun back into its shoulder holster, secretly glad to get rid of it. A tearing sound was heard as she ripped a strip of fabric off the bottom of her t-shirt.

Miss Tanaka finally gathered enough courage to say what was running through her mind. She could see what this girl intended to do. "So young. Why do you do this?" she whispered.

A bit of emotion shone though her mask and a fire smoldered in her eyes. "As the fucking idiot who adopted your boss," she replied, anger creeping into her tone. Then she gagged the woman with the cloth, and left.

--- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Yugi took a deep breath, and closed his purple eyes. Reopening them, he read the note again for what seemed the millionth time. It was short and simple...and shocking.

_Yugi and Solomon,  
If I'm not back by midnight, run for your lives.  
Nanashi_

It was scrawled out in Nanashi's distinctive back slant handwriting, and Yugi knew she would never play a joke like this. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. He ran downstairs.

--- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Akio leaned against the door and yawned, bored. He'd been ordered to guard the door, to make sure Mr. Kaiba didn't have to deal with any interruptions. An easy job, all you had to do was stand there. But that's exactly what he'd been doing, his only interruptions been when Mokuba had came, then ran and brought back a pizza. So all he'd really done was stand there.

A girl ran easily down the hallway, and stopped in front of him. Startled, wondering what she was doing, he began his spiel. "Mr. Kaiba doesn't want any-"He stopped short, staring down the barrel of a small pistol. Suddenly just standing didn't seem so bad any more.

"Let me in," Nanashi ordered. Now, all she wanted to do was get this done and over with.

Akio stared in shock for a moment, fear whirling in his eyes. But he was in much better control of himself than Kaiba's secretary had been, and slowly turned to punch in the code.

"Wait. Give me the code."

He froze, finger hovering over the keypad. He could give her the wrong code, but it wouldn't get him much of anywhere. "1-9-5-2-0-1-5."

"Thank you. Sit down over there," she jerked her gun in the direction of the opposite wall, "facing the wall."

The guard did as told, sitting down slowly. _Please, oh, please, _he pleaded silently, _don't kill me. _He thought of his lovely wife at home. Would he ever see her again? _I swear, I'll never ever cheat on her if I live through this._

Nanashi punched in the code, and the door slid open. She stepped inside, letting the door close behind her. The guard could run, she didn't care. She didn't worry about escaping them, it would be easy. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the dim lighting, and she aimed the gun at her target.

Seto stood in front of the screen, glaring at it. In the chair next to him, Mokuba slept soundly, curled up in his big brother's trench coat. On the floor lay and empty pizza and paper plates. "I thought I said I was not to be-"he began, turning around. But he stopped, seeing the gun. His cool composure didn't disappear, and he locked eyes with the intruder. "Who are you?" he growled.

"It doesn't matter. But if you really want to know, you can ask Gozaburo. You'll be meeting him soon." She willed her finger to squeeze the trigger, it started, but stopped on the hairpin line that separated Seto from life and death. For this time, she aimed to kill.

His ice blue eyes battled with her bluish green ones. She seemed to have the resolve, no...there was a weakness. Seto saw it, and smiled triumphantly, betting his life on it. "Oh, really? Then kill me. Now." He waited, she didn't move. "Come on! I'm waiting."

A burst of anger almost carried her through. The cocky jerk was just like the old man. But something else happened at that moment.

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Me: Mwahahaha! Cliff hanger! Please review!


	4. Ties That Bind

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**Chapter Four – Ties that Bind  
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Mokuba had been sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the conflict that raged around him. But his subconscious realized there was something important going on, and it dragged his protesting mind slowly out of dream land. Finally, his eyes opened sleepily, then shot open all the way as his brown eyes focused on the scene in front of him. "Big brother!" he exclaimed.

The gun dropped silently to the carpeted floor, landing with a soft thud. Nanashi stood there, trembling, head bowed in defeat. "I can't...I just...can't..." she whispered, barely audible. She'd lost...and it wasn't just her who'd lost. But in the darkness of failure that flooded her mind, a silver strand of hope appeared; the beginnings of a plan that just might work...

Seto leaped into action, rushing forward. As he did so, he pushed his hands against the girl's shoulders, moving her easily, and pinned her forcefully into the wall. She didn't resist. He lifted up her chin, silent tears streamed down a slightly tanned face. "Now," he growled, "let's try this again. Who are you?"

She opened her eyes. "Nanashi."

He stared at her a moment longer. Something seemed vaguely familiar, although he hadn't been able to place it. Suddenly, he jumped back. "I know you," he murmured. "You're the girl the Gozaburo...that Gozaburo..." he uncharacteristically tripped over the words.

He never got to finish that sentence, for that was when Kaiba's Corp.'s whole security force finally burst into the room. All eyes instantly trained on Kaiba, then shifted to Nanashi as every gun focused on her. "Mr. Kaiba, are you alright?"

"Of course I'm alright," he snapped irritably.

Two men broke away from the group, each grabbing one of Nanashi's arms in a firm grip. She didn't move to stop them, and kept her expression blank. A third man patted her down, searching for more weapons. Finally, after much deliberation, he decided the easiest thing to do would be to just take off her jacket. Searching through everything in there would take days.

The first man who spoke ventured to speak again. "The police have been notified, sir. They should be here any moment."

Kaiba's cold stare made him wish he never spoke, or had let someone else do it. "Tell them," he pronounced the words slowly and deliberately, "that it was a false warning. Do _not _let them in."

The man stared at his boss. The authority in his voice was unmistakable. "Y-yes, sir," he stammered, then left to take care of that situation.

"What do we do with her?" one of the guards asked.

Seto walked over to the discarded jacket. He shuffled through its contents. "She doesn't have any other weapons on her?"

"No, not that I'm aware. Although, to be absolutely sure, we'd have to stri-"

He cut the guard off. "She stays here, with me." He pulled out a dangling pair of handcuffs, and tossed it indifferently to the guard, who deftly caught it. "Put those on her. Then leave."

"Yes, sir." He quickly tightened the cuffs around her wrists, and left with the rest of Kaiba Corp.'s security team. He was curious about the odd girl, like everyone else, but had no choice but to leave. You didn't mess around with Seto Kaiba.

The door slid shut with a soft _thump. _"So, you do know who I am," she commented quietly. "Or rather, what." The last part came out as kind of a hiss.

"The creation of my stepfather, yes. Intended to be the ultimate assassin. He obviously failed there," he added distastefully.

"I made my own choice."

"I see. So, how much did they have to pay you to change your mind?"

"Money," she hissed back. "means nothing to me." Her gaze settled uneasily on Mokuba, who kept shifting his focus from her to Seto, confused and more than a little frightened.

"Not what, but whom," he amended, reading her expression. "You're weaker than I thought."

She whirled on him, eyes flashing. "Don't you get it? They know who I am, and they sent her here to see if I could still be used. My failure is only a minor setback. There's a million other assassin's out there they can send after you. Meanwhile, my friends must pay for my failure. And they won't hesitate to use the same ploy with him." She jerked her thumb at Mokuba. "I don't intend to sit around and discuss how weak I am. I'm leaving." In one fluid motion, the handcuffs slipped off her wrists and flung themselves at Seto's feet. She spun around and headed to the door.

He was one step ahead of her. "Computer, lock the door." The computer bleeped in answer.

She paused, but only for a second. "Computer, override. Authorization, _she who is without name alpha 2 gamma_."

"Authorization accepted."

She continued, the door sliding open for her with a slight hiss. "Good bye."

"Wait!"

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Sorry bout the long wait; and the second cliffy in a row. I didn't intend it to turn out that way, but didn't want to keep ya'll waiting any longer. I was stuck for awhile, then the other night got struck by inspiration! Too bad it didn't carry over past the cliffy...well, I'll try to update sooner!


	5. Escape

Me: New chappy! YAY! Actually, I'm way ahead of this in the story, but it's all on paper, haven't gotten it to the computer and polished it up yet.

And to answer your questions Okami: Yes, I am planning pairings, and I have no clue how many chapters to go.

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**Chapter Five – Escape  
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Yugi paced nervously across the end of the living room, constantly looking up to glance at the old grandfather clock. Ten thirty-six. The second hand ticked with agonizing slowness, dragging itself across the clock face. Yami tried to comfort him but had to admit his outlook was pretty grim, also. Nanashi was his friend, too, and there were times when he felt he read deeper into her occasional glances and comments than he wanted to.

Solomon wasn't in much better shape than his grandson. One finger absently held down the UP button on the remote, causing TV channels to flicker by in rapid succession. He wasn't paying attention, though. His mind was caught up in thousands of ifs. If they had to run, where would they go? They couldn't go to the government; that would get too complicated, trying to explain Nanashi and all that. He didn't really know exactly who she was, but once she'd told him that she "technically didn't exist". Although, if she was, he mentally skipped over the word, then it might not matter anyways.

"Grandpa!" Yugi suddenly exclaimed, rushing up to the couch and nearly leaping over it. He stopped however, right behind it. "Go back to channel 3."

Solomon snapped out of his thoughts, and realized that the remote was in his hand. He turned back to channel 3. A red rectangle in the corner of the screen read LIVE. Underneath was Naomi Hiragashi, reporter for Domino Eyewitness News. Behind her rose the massive Kaiba Corp. skyscraper, glassy walls lit intermittently by red and blue police strobe lights.

"-ports of an armed individual breaking in with the intent of assassinating the young head of Kaiba Corp. Since then, the situation has been verified as a false alarm. Seto Kaiba, who is alive and well, will not be making any comments on the situation at this time. However, I will take you over to the head of security..."

She went on, but her words were disregarded by the two listeners. They stared at the screen, but really were turned inward into their own thoughts. Yugi's fingernails dug into the couch's cream colored upholstery. "No...she couldn't..." he whispered, struck by a horrible realization.

"It fits," his grandpa said and Yami concurred. "But let's not jump to conclusions." He was right, even if it did fit, so much more did not.

Yugi was about to resume his now doubly nervous pacing, when the clear chime of the back doorbell echoed through the house. Instead, he turned and dashed to the back door.

"Yugi, be careful!" He slowed, catching the meaning of his grandpa's words. _What if that wasn't Nanashi? _He fumbled for the keys and jammed one into the deadbolt. Tried to. _Damn. _He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Then he carefully searched for the right key and unlocked the door. Twisting the knob, he slowly inched the door open. "Who's there?" he called out, trying to sound calm.

But there was no one out there.

He tentatively stepped outside onto the concrete steps. _Who rang the doorbell? _he thought wildly. Maybe it was just a prank, but then that was a really odd coinci-

Someone grabbed him, jerking his small frame backwards into nearby bushes. He started to cry out, but an hand quickly clamped down over his mouth.

"It's me," a familiar voice whispered in his ear. She slowly released him.

"Nana-"

"Shh!" she whispered forcefully.

"Nanashi," he began again, his voice now barely audible. "What's going on?"

"Later. Right now, we just gotta get outta here. Go in and get Solomon, and come back out. Leave the TV on, a few lights, and be as quiet as possible," she instructed. Yugi's eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, and as he did, he began to make out the shape of his friend. Her voice was calm, but she continually glanced around, alert to the slightest sound.

"One question. Does this have anything to do with Kaiba?"

She started to ask how he knew, then decided against it. That could wait, right now time was crucial. "Yes. Now go!"

As Yugi hurried back inside, she pondered how Mokuba had convinced her and Seto to help each other. Especially after Seto found out who her friends were. How he'd managed to convince her, well, he'd had a point. Escaping would be easier as she now shouldn't need to go steal anything. And rich people tended to get what they wanted.

Yugi and Solomon came quickly out the door, and Nanashi leaped up to catch it before it slammed. Letting the latch click softly, she motioned with her hand. "Follow me."

--- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"She failed." The voice carried no inflection; merely was stony fact.

His superior templed his fingers and contemplated that fact. So, the little experiment had failed once again. "How close did she get?"

"Nearly killed him. She couldn't pull the trigger, though."

Such a pity, her life would have to be ended now. The one that had finally lived, after all the others before had died, only to be cut down in what could have been her prime. Yet, he couldn't let that sway him. It was necessary. Killing was a part of her, and part that had been engrained deep into her mind. And killing and assassination didn't always total out to be the same thing. Killing was necessary to assassinate, but vice-versa did not apply. "And what does our dear Seto Kaiba plan to do about this?"

"They are going to run."

"They?" He briefly wondered if Seto knew who she truly was.

"Yes. She and Kaiba, along with his little brother and her friends."

Ah, yes, the price for her failure. "How?"

"By plane. She plans to go somewhere. Where, I do not know."

"Leave them be, for now. But, I want you to pilot that plane. And make sure that wherever they are going, they never get there."

"Yes, sir."

"And, I need not remind you, to die in battle is by far a better price to pay than the one you would pay to come home a failure," he added, his tone deadly.

"Yes, sir." He knew that fact all too well.

----------------------------------------------------------------------


	6. Flight and Fight

it's Seto's birthday today!!!  
/throws huge party/ YAY!  
/eats lots of cake and ice cream/  
Yum!  
/looks around for seto/ hey, wait a minute...i'm sure i invited him.../sets her hand in her pocket, and suddenly pulls out an invitation. face turns red/ uhh...guess i forgot to send the invitation...oh, well, now i can personally invite him!  
/snaps fingers and appears in seto's office/  
seto: what the hell are you doing here?  
me: taking you to you're birthday party!  
seto: my WHAT?!?!?  
me: you know...cake, ice cream, presents, everyone says happy birthday. come on, let's go. /grabs his arm before he can protest, and snaps her fingers again. they appear back at party/  
all: HAPPY BIRTHDAY SETO!  
seto: /gives her an evil glare, then wrenches away from her/ i've got better things to do than associate with low-lifes like you. go play fetch with wheeler or something. /starts walking away/  
me: /growls, feeling very youkai-ish/ hey! that's not nice. anyways, it's your birthday party, and you're staying. /grabs him again and drags him over to a chair, where she ties him up/ there we go.  
seto: let me out of here!  
me: no.  
seto: if you don't i'll...  
me: wait! i've got a better idea. how about we duel. if you win, you get to leave, but if you lose, you have to stay and promise to have some fun!  
seto: fine. this'll be a piece of cake.  
me: you're going down!  
/5 min later/  
me: /gets toasted by the blue eyes white dragon. life points drop to -2999/  
seto: looks like i win. i'll be leaving now.  
me: /pouts/ now what do i do. wait! before you leave, i need to give you your present.  
seto: /pauses/ be quick about it /a present is a present after all/  
me: /digs through box of random things, and pulls out a package/ here.  
seto: /glares suspiciously at present, then opens it. pulls out picture of himself in boxers. looks ready to tear her apart/  
me: O.o /grabs picture from him and stashes someplace else/ oh, yeah, now i remember what it was! /grabs seto and kisses him/  
seto: is now going to tear her apart  
me: /begins talking really fast/ byeya'll!havefunrea-ahh! /runs away from seto as fast as she can!/

--------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter Six – Flight and Fight  
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Mokuba's face pressed against the small window as he stared outside. Little lights that lined the runway twinkled brightly, but for the most part were drowned out by the bigger lights surrounding Kaiba Corp. private runway. Beside him, Seto waited impatiently. "Where is she?" he asked.

"Right there!" Mokuba exclaimed, watching a van race onto the runway and screech to a halt. Three figures leaped out and ran up to the jet. The door swung open as Nanashi leaped agilely in, and helped the other.

"Your late," Seto commented.

She ignored him and slammed the door. Then she tapped on the door leading to the cockpit. "We're ready."

The plane leaped forward, knocking Yugi and Solomon off their feet. Nanashi stumbled back a step, but caught herself. "Sorry," she said, giving them an apologetic glance.

Outside, the runway lights rushed past in a white blur, then dropped away as the Kaiba Corp. jet smoothly lifted into the air. Soon they were merely a part of the bright city, then the city diminished also and completely disappeared as they flew into a cloud.

--- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"So, you're saying you were...created...as part of an experiment..." Yugi paused again.

"Yes," Nanashi answered, staring out the window like she had been for the past hour and a half. "To be the perfect assassin."

"And now, someone wanted you to...assassinate Kaiba. And they used us as an incentive." His large purple eyes were filled with sympathy for his friend. "I'm sorry," he added gently.

She turned and finally made eye contact. "No, I'm the one who's sorry. It's not your fault, it's mine." After a long pause, "It all seems so weird, doesn't it? Sometimes I feel like I've walked out of a sci-fi horror movie, only to find I'm still stuck in it." She dropped her gaze and stared at her fingertips, rubbing them against each other. Then she held out her hands, palms up. "Here, look at this."

Solomon leaned over to get a better look. "You don't have any fingerprints!" he exclaimed.

A sad smile spread across her face. "That's not all. I can't be identified by my DNA either. It's constantly changing. I have no identity. That's why my name is Nanashi."

"Without name," Yugi spoke the meaning quietly. He reached out and grasped her hand. "You'll always be my friend, you have that much."

Solomon clasped her other one. "And mine, too."

"Thanks," she said softly, "but I don't know if even that can protect me from myself."

Mokuba dozed next to Seto who listened disinterestedly, at the moment having nothing better to do. Most of it he knew, although not the personal side of the story. He also noticed she left out other things; details, especially those concerning Gozaburo.

Nanashi turned back to the window, staring out into a black abyss. She didn't enjoy reliving her past, but she owed them the truth, no matter how hard it was. But now, having nothing else to occupy her mind, a voice entered her head. For the second time in the past 24 hours, it taunted her. _So, you did manage to keep your oath. But look at the trouble you got your friends in now. Make a mistake, and they're dead. Yet, they still call you their friend. Amazing, how such a creature as low as you, so strong but riddled with weaknesses, you think you can get them out of this, but you can't, you're too weak..._

Yugi sank into his own thoughts, trying to sort it all out and make some sense. Sleep kept encroaching on him, and maybe it wasn't such a bad idea, as his grandpa had already dozed off. He figured out how to make the seat recline and did so. But he didn't fall asleep.

The plane banked slightly, turning to the left. Nanashi suddenly stood up. She felt like they were going in circles. Her naturally suspicious nature caused her to pad softly up to the front of the plane.

"Where are you going?" Seto asked, also suspicious by nature.

"Does it matter?" She slipped into the cockpit without giving him a chance to answer. The door clicked shut, latching behind her. There was a small corridor that opened up into the small cockpit; she knew enough to know that all planes were that way. Odd thing was, she didn't see the pilot.

She frowned, glancing around. Well, maybe he was in the bathroom, or where ever that door in the corridor led to. She studied the instrument panel in front of her, looking for some clue as to why she felt like they were going in circles.

Some might've referred to it as a "glass-cockpit", she simply thought of it as high-tech. Instead of gauges and dials there was LCD displays lining the panel. Buttons and switches still covered the ceiling though. She slowly waded her way through the mass of information presented her.

She heard a door open and shut behind her. The pilot. Perhaps he could help her. She waited for him to speak, part of her mind wondering what he'd say about her intrusion. Then a screen labeled autopilot caught her eye.

Two large, thick hands placed themselves around her neck and began cutting off her airway.

She attempted to struggle, but soon stopped. She could literally feel the massive strength oozing out of his arms; he was too strong. She needed a better tactic. Her lungs began to cry for air, but an even louder protest was that of her windpipe; it would be crushed before she suffocated.

"You can't run from us," a voice, dead and inflectionless, whispered in her ear. The grip tightened.

She wrapped her hands around the body behind her, barely reaching to entwine her fingers around each other. Using this to support her body, she lifted her legs into the air, and set her feet on the nearest solid object. The pain in her neck intensified. With little time to spare, she shoved.

It worked. The man stumbled back, relaxing his grip for a few precious seconds. That was all she needed. Wrenching her neck free, she gasped in great lungfuls of air. He wasn't down long though, quickly regaining his footing and lunging at her. She twisted away from him.

In the cramped confines of the cockpit, she didn't get far enough away from the lumbering body. He caught her shoulder and smashed it against the wall, dragging her with him. His weight carried them both down the small corridor and he slammed into the thin door separating the cockpit from the rest of the plane. The hinges groaned, and snapped.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

p.s. thank you okami666 for your glowing review! i try really hard to keep everyone in character; glad to know i'm succeeding!


	7. Conflict

No, I have not forgotten about my story! It shall go on!!! I'm just a lazy person when it comes to typing all this up…and I got stuck on a part for a little while. But this chappy is finally finished! And I'll try to get the next one up a lot sooner next time!

Happy New Year!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter Seven – Conflict  
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Seto jumped up, seeing Nanashi and the pilot tumble out. "What the hell is going on?"

Neither bothered to answer. As they struggled to their feet, Nanashi socked him in the stomach. His only acknowledgement was a slight grunt. "Crap," she muttered; standing and trying again. This time he caught her fist, trapping it in an iron grip. She attempted to wrench it free, then rained down punches and kicks on her assailant. The intense crushing pressure merely strengthened.

"Kaiba, we've got to help her!" Yugi shouted, recovering from his shock. He charged valiantly at the man, only to be knocked back by a blow from his free arm. Yugi slid across the plane and crashed into a seat, the edge digging painfully into his back.

"How do I know he's not on our side?" Seto retorted.

Before Yugi could shoot back an angry reply, the man spoke. "If you think that, Seto Kaiba, then you are a fool."

Calmly Seto turned, catching Mokuba's wide, frightened eyes as he did so. This was the second time in a row his little brother had woken up to find himself in a crisis. Reaching under the seat cushion, Seto pulled out a gun. Aiming it at the man, he fired.

The bullet burrowed into his shoulder. With one last brutal wrench, he flung Nanashi towards Seto. Backing up quickly, she heard someone yell at her. "Get out of the way!"

"Give me that!" was her reply as her uninjured hand snatched the gun from him. Pausing a mere split-second to aim, she pulled the trigger. At point blank range the bullet slammed into his head, snapping it brutally back. He was dead before even hearing the shot ring out. The massive body crumpled to the floor, blood pooling on the blue and grey carpet.

Shoving the gun back into Seto's hands, Nanashi ran over to Yugi. "You okay?" she asked, kneeling down.

Worry colored his purple eyes. "The question is, are _you _okay?" He took her outstretched hand and she helped him up.

"Yeah, I think so." She gently massaged her neck with her right hand. The worst part was talking, and she suddenly realized how hoarse her voice sounded.

"That going to be okay?" He asked, glancing at her hand.

She frowned, looking down. Her hand and wrist were quickly becoming a large, livid bruise. She gingerly probed it with her finger tips; the puffy skin was numb. Her fingers were stuck in a half curled position, and she couldn't move them without help. She twisted her wrist back and forth, and something popped. She winced as feeling returned full force.

"What happened?" Seto's cold voice broke off her thoughts.

"What happened?" she repeated angrily, whirling around to face him. "I was in the cockpit when your pilot tried to strangle me; that's what happened." Her neck would soon reflect the color of her hand, only in a milder shade. Not a prospect she looked forward to.

"Why would he do that?" Solomon asked.

"He's part of whoever's after us."

"How do you know?" Seto asked, striding to the cockpit without waiting for an answer. Mokuba clung close to him, keeping his big brother between him and the corpse. Seto stepped over the broken door and into the cockpit, sitting down in the pilot's seat.

It took him a moment to sort out the confusing tangle of controls, but he quickly got the hang of it. They were on autopilot – just like they were supposed to be. But something was wrong…He scowled as he realized the autopilot had been tampered with. Instead of their original course, they were set to circle continuously, presumably until they ran out of gas and crashed.

"What's wrong, big brother?" Mokuba asked, noting the expression on his face.

He didn't answer right away, concentrating on changing their course. "It's not responding…" His scowl deepened as all attempts failed.

Nanashi walked in, a pack of ice Solomon had found pressed against her hand. "What's not responding?" She frowned, sitting down in the copilot's chair.

"That." His tone was carefully flat.

Their current course appeared on a screen in front of her. So that's what he'd been hiding. He meant to crash them.

"Disconnect it manually." It was the curse of technology, some things got too advanced for their own good.

"No good." Before she could ask why, he continued with a question. "Can you fly?"

"What, the great Seto Kaiba can't fly a simple little airplane? Just like he can't aim a gun, I guess," she mocked.

"Would you rather I have shot you?"

"He was ten friggin' feet in front of you!" she exploded, standing up. Her hand throbbed painfully, adding to the anger flashing in her eyes. "And you missed!"

"I did _not_ miss," he remarked coolly, yet his tone was edged with steel. He stood up also. His height often served him an advantage, now was no different; she was at least 2 inches shorter than him, if not more.

"You hit him in the shoulder. Did you see what it mattered to him? Nothing! Far as I'm concerned, you missed! Fucking, goddamn _missed!"_

"I'm sorry. I didn't spend my whole life learning how to kill." He waited, and smirked as his words struck home. But before she could come up with a comeback, he continued. "Although, I would've thought Gozaburo taught you more than how to play with guns."

"Kaiba, Nanashi, stop it!" Yugi, actually Yami, broke into their argument. They both whirled to glare at him, but he didn't back down. "Fighting will get you nowhere. Now, I take it that there's a problem."

Nanashi's glare softened, but her anger didn't. One fist clenched by her side, and the other was scarlet, not at all helped by her pounding heart. She took a deep breath, and tried to sound calm. "We're locked on autopilot, and it plans to spin us around until we run out of fuel and crash."

Seto diverted his gaze from Yami and turned back to her. "My question still stands. Can you fly?"

She began to retort, but her throat protested. The recent argument, and nearly being crushed before, made it sore. "Yes," she croaked.

"Good. And for your information, I can fly. Unfortunately, my idea needs two people. One to fly, and another to keep the autopilot offline, which will be an ongoing process."

Yami still didn't totally understand what was happening, but had a feeling it was better left to them to work out. If they didn't kill each other first.

_Thanks Yami. I think I can handle it from here, _Yugi telepathed.

_If you think so, _Yami replied, and let his hikari take over.

Yugi noticed Mokuba, who was entirely confused and frightened. "Mokuba, why don't you come back here with me? Give Kaiba and Nanashi room to work."

"There's a…a…" he stuttered.

"I'll move it," Nanashi whispered. "We still have enough fuel left."

"Nanashi, you sure–"

"Fuck. It my mess." She rewrapped the ice pack around her hand, and brushed coldly past Seto. When she sidled past Yugi, however, she gripped his shoulder reassuringly.

Yet a comment Kaiba had made earlier troubled him. _Yami, didn't Kaiba say something about Gozaburo teaching Nanashi?_

_Yes, _his alter ego responded.

_Then wouldn't that mean it was Gozaburo who…_he trailed off.

_Wonder why she left that out._

_I don't, _Yugi replied somberly. _You remember what he was like._

Yami contemplated this silently, while Yugi turned back to the outside world. No matter how revolting he found it, Nanashi might need some help.

--------------------------------------------------------------------


	8. Destination: Philippines

eh...sorry bout the long wait. i got stuck on a certain passage for awhile, and then just got lazy. for some reason i feel like this chapter is really short, but here it is! i hope i don't start a habit of updating once per month. >. oh, yeah, the chappy title is really stupid, but i couldn't think of anything better. although i have figured out one thing: i don't NOT write well when obsessing over another cool story, which i've been doing lately.

**okami666: **heh, i've never seen kill bill, so i'll just have to take your word on it.

oh, yeah, and the disclaimer: i don't own YGO, the only thing i do own is the troubled character Nanashi. well, i DO own other things, but i'll just get on with the story.

-

**Chapter Eight – Destination: Philippines  
-**

Nanashi dropped a sheet on the blue and grey carpet, covering up the dark bloodstains. There. She was finished. She'd shoved the body into a small, janitor like closet she'd found, hopefully nobody was going in there any time soon. Yugi hadn't been the only one to offer help, but she'd firmly refused. Of course, Seto had never offered.

She turned and walked to the back of the jet. There was a small kitchenette, next to what looked like a flight attendant's quarters. She popped her head in the door. "It's gone," she told Yugi and Solomon.

"Thanks," they answered in unison. Solomon motioned to a cup sitting on the counter. "That's for you. It should help your throat."

She entered and picked up the plastic cup. She swirled the milk like liquid around, staring at it suspiciously. "What's in it?" she asked before taking a small sip. A warm, smooth liquid slid soothingly down her sore throat.

"Family secret." Solomon winked at her.

"In other words, you don't want to know," Yugi added with a laugh as his grandpa elbowed him.

Nanashi took another, longer drink, and then eyed them curiously. "Well, thanks anyway." It was helping, her words didn't scrape across her throat so hard. She slowly made her way to the cockpit.

"Took you long enough," Seto commented as she walked in. She glared at him, but didn't reply. A tangle of different colored wires branched out the back of his laptop, the other ends buried in the control console.

Mokuba sensed the tension snapping between the two, the air seemed to almost crackle with a psychic energy. It made him feel uneasy, and he didn't feel like being caught in the middle of another fight.

His stomach rumbled, bringing something else to mind. "I'm gonna go get something to eat," he bubbled, jumping up and running to the back.

"You have two choices of where to land." A transparent map appeared on the windshield, two areas highlighted. Seto was getting fairly fluent with the controls.

She studied the map. They were more or less surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, interspersed with a few unnamed islands. At the edge of the map a larger land mass contained the two highlighted areas, next to the name – Philippines. The areas were…"Beaches? Isn't there an airport we can reach?"

"No. Too far away," he answered.

"Have you tried radioing anyone?"

"The radio's been destroyed. In case you haven't noticed, our choices are pretty limited. So make your pick."

Damn. What happened to all their fuel? Must've been dumped, or there wasn't much in the first place. "That one." She set her finger on the larger beach. "How far away is it?"

"About an hour."

"Can you print out a map?"

Her response was the soft hum of a printer as a sheet of paper spat out of the instrument panel. It was soon followed by a detailed map of the Philippines. The map on the windshield disappeared, and she leaned forward, staring out blankly. The first hints of dawn were casting away the shroud of night, lighting up the blue ocean below. She tried to bring back everything she knew about flying, but a body interrupted her. The one she'd just cleaned up. _Not now, _she pleaded in her mind. That was the last thing she needed to think about. _It doesn't count, he was going to kill all of us._

"Ready?" Seto voice interrupted her, and she was glad for it.

"Yeah." Ready as she'd ever be.

Seto's blue eyes focused intensely on the screen before him. His fingers began to fly over the keyboard as he began.

The plane took a nosedive.

"Holy shit!" Nanashi exclaimed as Seto yelled at her. "Get your elbows off the controls!" She jumped back and grabbed the yoke, yanking it back. The plane jerked for a few seconds, as auto-pilot tried to take back over, but eventually she managed to level it out. She hoped those in the back were okay.

-

Yugi, who was sitting sideways, was flung out of his chair. Solomon was in a more fortunate position, as he was merely pressed back into his seat.

"What's going on?" Mokuba exclaimed as his Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich became airborne.

Moments later, Seto's cool voice came over the intercom. "If you value your life, I suggest buckling your seatbelt."

"You can say that again," Yugi groaned, rubbing his now doubly sore back. He crawled over to a row of chairs with seatbelts against the back of the plane and strapped himself in. Solomon and Mokuba did likewise. Then they were resigned to wait in suspense.

-

Nanashi eased the plane into a gradual descent. She'd brought the plane in line with the beach, and now was heading straight towards it. At some point in time it occurred to her that it was a good thing this beach was uninhabited.

"I overshot," she said evenly, even as she realized that this could be a fatal error. They were committed to landing now, they'd never make it above the trees if she tried to pull up and circle around.

"What?" Seto demanded tersely, glancing up from his laptop for the briefest of seconds. He was slightly surprised to notice she was entirely calm, but then he realized she'd spent her whole life learning how to survive an emergency.

She jabbed the intercom button. "Brace for impact!" she ordered, moments before bouncing off the beach. Plumes up sand shot up as the wheels dug into the beach for a second, then they were airborne again. Nanashi tried everything she knew to slow down. They bounced again, and then on the third time stayed down.

The beach was rapidly running out and would soon give way to the dark and menacing jungle. Nanashi cut the engines, and there was nothing left she could do.

The Kaiba Corp. jet slammed into the Philippine jungle.


	9. Wait for Me

WHO-HOO! look at me go! an update in less than a month! yes, i am proud of myself. Enjoy the new chapter, and please don't forget to review!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!. There. I said it. It hurt, but I did it.

**Kate Van Helsing:** Cliffhangers are a writer's priviledge. P

* * *

**Chapter Nine – Wait for Me

* * *

**

The nose of the jet pierced the foreboding jungle foliage, moments before the screech of tortured metal filled the once peaceful area. Rivets popped and metal twisted and crunched. The plane tore relentlessly through the jungle, leaving behind a swath of destruction. The wings were bent back by great tree trunks before being torn off. Finally the thick vegetation wrapped the metal menace in its thick creepers, slowing it to a halt.

Nanashi coughed and waited for the dust to clear. Blood trickled down her face, a gash down her cheek created by a flying fragment of the windshield. It had been shattered by a branch that had pierced through it like a lance, missing her own head by mere inches. A little cramped, but no serious injuries.

Something popped and hissed next to her leg, burning a hole through her pant leg. She hurriedly unbuckled herself and wriggled out. She crawled through the tangled mess that was the cockpit and entered the back of the plane. A gaping hole tore down the side, but it wasn't nearly as bad as up front.

The door to the kitchenette was jammed, and she heard a persistent knocking. Muffled voices could be heard shouting for attention. "Nanashi! Kaiba! Big brother! Anyone there?"

Nanashi inspected the latch for a moment. "Stand back!" she shouted. Leaning back on one leg, she raised the other and forcefully kicked it. The gray door groaned, but stayed closed. She tried again. This time it popped and swung back.

Mokuba charged out first. "Is Seto okay?" he demanded. Receiving no reply, he ran into the cockpit.

"Sorry about the landing. It was my fault. I over—Yugi, are you okay?"

He tenderly touched a gash above her eye and winced. "Yeah, I just learned to watch out for flying objects during crash landings. Although the question should be are _you_ okay?"

"I'll be fine."

"What about Kaiba?"

She shrugged indifferently. "I don't know."

He gave her an odd look that confused her and began to say something. He was cut off, however, by an outburst from Mokuba. "Big brother!"

They instantly were in what was left of the cockpit. Seto's head stuck out above a panel wedging him in. Yugi grabbed the end with his hand. He pulled out in, it didn't budge. "Nanashi, can you help me with this."

Nanashi sighed and used her good hand to grip it. They both strained against it. "Maybe if we wiggle it," she suggested. They did that, and it slipped a little, and then suddenly came free. Nanashi leaned it against the co-pilot's seat.

Solomon crowded in and felt for a pulse. "He's alive," he announced, "but out cold."

"Guess he won't be much help," Nanashi mumbled.

They surveyed the situation. Even with the panel gone, the space between Seto and the mangled instrument panel was fairly small.

"Mokuba, your hands are small," Solomon said. "Reach in and see if you can unbuckle him."

Mokuba slid his hands along the belt fabric until he found the buckle. He tried every possible motion he could think of. "It won't…budge." It _had _to, it just had to! He tried harder, but without any luck. Suddenly he whirled angrily on Nanashi. "Do something!" This was all her fault in the first place.

"We need some way to cut the belt," Yugi thought aloud.

"Cut…or sever," Solomon echoed.

"A gun."

Everyone stared at Nanashi questioningly. "What do you mean?" Solomon asked.

Without answering, she pushed past and out of the cockpit. Kicking off the debris covering a beige seat, she yanked off the cushion.

A gun glinted in the patches of sunlight streaming in through the plane's gash, steel gray and black. Next to it laid extra cartridges of ammunition.

"Prepared, aren't we?" she murmured cynically. She jammed the cartridges in her pants pocket, then picked up the gun. As she turned to go back upfront, a gray wisp of smoke outside caught her eye. She walked to the side and peered out. Jungle plants tangled up in the torn wing smoldered, bright patches of orange breaking out occasionally.

"Fire!"

Her cry caused Yugi and Solomon to back out of the cockpit. "Fire?" Yugi echoed uncertainly. His mind raced with every movie scene containing a dramatic explosion of some sort.

"Open the door," Nanashi ordered.

"Why don't we just jump out the hole?" Yugi questioned.

"It's safer that way. Now do it."

Solomon disappeared into the kitchenette and soon came back carrying a first aid kit. Yugi opened the door and he tossed it down.

"Go."

"Be safe," Solomon told Nanashi before crawling out.

"I try. Ready, Yugi?"

"What about Mokuba and Kaiba?" No matter how much of a pain the elder could be, he didn't deserve to die trapped here. And at the moment, he couldn't quite put it past her.

"I'll get them out. You should wait outside."

"But-"

"No but's," she cut him off. "Now go." She gave him a slight push, and Yugi nearly fell out the door.

"What are you going to do with that?" Mokuba demanded as Nanashi reentered the cockpit. He stood defensively between her and Seto.

"No time. You need to leave."

"No. I'm not leaving Seto." He crossed his arms and planted his feet. Any fear he might've felt was covered up by the loyalty and determination shining in his eyes.

Nanashi looked uncertain of what to do for a moment, before suddenly kneeling in front of him. "Mokuba, I know you have no reason to trust me. No one does. But, please, right now, I'm asking you to."

He was silent.

She took a deep breath. "If you go wait with Yugi and Solomon, I swear to you, I swear, I'll get Seto out of here." _Or I'll die trying_, she added silently.

He pondered this for a few moments. "You swear? You're not trying to trick me?"

"I swear."

Mokuba seemed to decide she was sincere. He reluctantly backed away from Seto. "Don't hurt him," he warned before disappearing.

Nanashi set to work. If she shot a bullet through the safety harness, she could hopefully sever it. She aimed the muzzle at the thin profile created by the strap's edge running around his waist.

A gunshot echoed through the dying jet. One end of the strap dropped down. Now the shoulder strap. That one would be harder. She would need to life the strap off his chest. An explosion rocked the plane, interrupting her efforts and flinging her on top of Seto. Black smoke belched into the cockpit. Nanashi rolled off of him and coughed, groping for the shoulder strap. The smoke soon lessened, dissipating out the broken windows.

She lifted up the gray strap and slid her injured hand under, letting it rest on top of her wrist. She rested the butt of the gun on Seto's chest, and craned her head around to aim.

A hand snaked out and grabbed her wrist. "What the hell are you doing?" a cold voice demanded.

"Trying to get you out," she grunted, wrenching her wrist free.

"Oh, really? And why would you do that?" He turned his head and studied her. _Not a bad plan, _he thought.

She paused for a second, and caught his gaze. "I gave Mokuba my word that I would get you out. Now shut up and hold still."

"Where is Mokuba?" His words were punctuated by the sharp report of a pistol. She suddenly pressed against his chest as the bullet ricocheted and shot past her head. "Get off me," he growled.

"Gladly. Let's go." She grabbed his arm and began pulling him out. The smoke was getting thicker again, carrying with it heat and the crackle of fire.

Seto's left leg was caught. He twisted and jerked it free. Pain shot up his leg as a scrap of metal dug into his calf.

Flames licked and devoured everything they could, curling up the walls and across the ceiling, leaving behind the charred remains. They laughed at Nanashi and Seto as they ran out, pouring out their black smoke in an attempt to choke them.

"The gun," she gasped urgently, only a few feet from the open doorway. She whirled around, heading back for it.

"Forget it!" Seto blocked her path with his arm and leapt outside, dragging her with him.

* * *


End file.
